Main The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior

The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior

From former FBI agent and bestselling author Joe Navarro, a field guide companion to his classic What Every BODY is Saying, revealing the more than 400 essential body language indicators.

A decade after his huge international bestseller What Every BODY is Saying, which has sold more than half a million copies in the U.S. and been published in dozens of foreign territories, retired FBI agent Joe Navarro offers its follow-up. The Dictionary of Body Language is a companion “field guide” to What Every BODY is Saying, expanding the original work with hundreds of additional behaviours, and presenting them all in an easy-to-reference format.

Moving from the head down to the feet, Navarro explains the hidden meanings behind the many conscious and subconscious things we do with our bodies. We learn how to tell a person’s true feelings from movement and dilation in their pupils; what to watch for in the lips of a person who may be afraid, or lying; the many different varieties of arm-crossing, and what each one means; how the position of our thumbs when we stand akimbo reflects our mental state; and many other fascinating insights. The applications for readers are numerous, from the business environment to romantic relationships.

After reading The Dictionary of Body Language, you’ll have a new ability to read other people’s true intentions, and to adjust your own body presentation so that you can convey the right messages.
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN 13:
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This book is dedicated to the love of my life,
my best friend, and the first editor of everything
I do—my wife, Thryth Hillary Navarro




Title Page
The Head
The Forehead
The Eyebrows
The Eyes
The Ears
The Nose
The Mouth
The Lips
The Cheeks and Jaw
The Chin
The Face
The Neck
The Shoulders
The Arms
The Hands and Fingers
The Chest, Torso, and Belly
The Hips, Buttocks, and Genitals
The Legs
The Feet

About the Author
Also by Joe Navarro
About the Publisher


In 1971, at the age of seventeen, for reasons unknown to me then or now, I
began to keep a journal on human behavior. I catalogued all sorts of
“nonverbals”—what is more generally called body language. At first it was the
quirky things people did: why did they roll their eyes when they were
disbelieving or reach for their neck when they heard bad news? Later it became
more nuanced: why did women play with their hair while on the phone or arch
their eyebrows when they greeted one another? These were small actions, but
they captured my curiosity. Why did humans do such things, in such variety?
What was the purpose of these behaviors?
I admit it was an odd pursuit for a teenager. My friends told me as much;
they were focused on trading baseball cards, knowing who had the best batting
average or kicked the most extra points that season. I was far more interested in
learning the intricacies of human behavior.
In the beginning I catalogued my observations on three-by-five-inch cards
for my own benefit. At that time I was unfamiliar with the work of Charles
Darwin, Bronisław Malinowski, Edward T. Hall, Desmond Morris, or my future
friend Dr. David Givens—the giants in the field of human behavior. I was simply
interested in how others acted, and why, and I wanted to preserve my
observations. I never thought I;  would still be collecting them on index cards
forty years later.
Over the years, I collected several thousand entries. Little did I know back
then that I would later become an FBI Special Agent and would, for the next
twenty-five years, use those observations as I pursued criminals, spies, and
terrorists. But perhaps, given my interest in how and why people behave, that
was the natural trajectory all along.
I CAME TO the United States as a refugee fleeing Communist-controlled Cuba. I
was eight years old and didn’t speak English. I had to adjust quickly—in other
words, I had to observe and decode my new surroundings. What native speakers
took for granted, I could not. My new existence consisted of deciphering the

only thing that made sense—body language. Through their countenance, their
look, the softness in their eyes, or the tension in their face, I learned to interpret
what others implied. I could figure out who liked me, who was indifferent
toward my existence, whether someone was angry or upset with me. In a strange
land, I survived by observing. There was no other way.
Of course, American body language was a little different from Cuban body
language. People in America spoke with a different cadence and vibrancy.
Cubans got close to one another when they spoke, and often touched. In America
they stood farther apart, and social touching might receive an uncomfortable
glance or worse.
My parents worked three jobs each, so they did not have the time to teach me
these things—–I had to learn them on my own. I was learning about culture and
the influence it has on nonverbals, even if I couldn’t have put it in those words at
the time. But I did know that some behaviors were different here, and I had to
understand them. I developed my own form of scientific inquiry, observing
dispassionately and validating everything I saw not once or twice but many
times before it made its way onto an index card. As my cards grew in number,
certain patterns in behavior began to stand out. For one, most behaviors could be
broadly categorized as markers of either psychological comfort or discomfort;
our bodies reveal very accurately, in real time, our state of unease.
I would later learn that many of these comfort markers or behaviors, to be
more precise, originated in the mammalian or emotional areas of the brain—
what is often referred to as the limbic system. This type of involuntary response
squared with what I had seen in Cuba and was seeing now in America. At school
or through the window at the corner store, people would flash their eyes with
their eyebrows to greet those they truly liked. Such universal behaviors I grew to
trust as authentic and reliable. What I did doubt was the spoken word. How
often, after I had learned English, I heard people say they liked something when
just an instant earlier I had seen their face reveal the complete opposite.
And so, too, I learned at an early age about deception. People often lie, but
their nonverbals usually reveal how they actually feel. Children, of course, are
terrible liars; they might nod to acknowledge they have done something bad
even as they are verbally denying it. As we get older, we get better at lying, but a
trained observer can still spot the signs that say something is wrong, there are
issues here, a person does not appear to be completely forthcoming, or someone
lacks confidence in what he is saying. Many of those signals or behaviors are
collected here in this book.
As I grew older, I came to rely more and more on nonverbals. I relied on
them at school, in sports, in everything I did—even playing with my friends. By

the time I had graduated from Brigham Young University, I had collected more
than a decade’s worth of observations. There, for the first time, I was living
among many more cultures (east Europeans, Africans, Pacific Islanders, Native
Americans, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese, among others) than I had seen
in Miami, and this allowed me to make further observations.
At school I also began to discover the fascinating scientific underpinnings of
many of these behaviors. To take just one example: in 1974 I got to see
congenitally blind children playing together. It took my breath away. These
children had never seen other children yet were exhibiting behaviors that I had
thought were visually learned. They were demonstrating “happy feet” and the
“steeple” with their hands, despite having never witnessed them. This meant
these behaviors were hardwired into our DNA, part of our paleo-circuits—these
very ancient circuits that ensure our survival and ability to communicate and are
thus universal. Throughout my college career, I learned about the evolutionary
basis of many of these behaviors, and throughout this book, I will reveal these
often surprising facts we take for granted.
W HEN I FINISHED my studies at Brigham Young University, I received a phone
call asking me to apply to the FBI. I thought it was a joke, but the next day two
men in suits knocked on my door and handed me an application and my life
changed forever. In those days, it was not unusual for FBI scouts to look for
talent on campus. Why my name was handed up, or by who, I never learned. I
can tell you that I was more than elated to be asked to join the most prestigious
law enforcement agency in the world.
I was the second-youngest agent ever hired by the FBI. At the age of twentythree I had again entered a new world. Though I felt unprepared in many ways to
be an agent, there was one domain I had mastered: nonverbal communication.
This was the only area where I felt confident. FBI work is, for the most part,
about making observations. Yes, there are crime scenes to process and criminals
to apprehend, but the majority of the job is talking to people, surveilling
criminals, conducting interviews. And for that I was ready.
My career in the FBI spanned twenty-five years, the last thirteen of which I
spent in the Bureau’s elite National Security Behavioral Analysis Program (NSBAP). It was in this unit, designed to analyze the top national security cases, that
I got to utilize my nonverbal skills as if on steroids. This unit, comprising just
six agents selected from among twelve thousand FBI Special Agents, had to
achieve the impossible: identify spies, moles, and hostile intelligence officers
seeking to do harm to the United States under diplomatic cover.
During my time in the field I honed my understanding of body language.

What I observed could never be replicated in a university laboratory. When I
read scientific journals about deception and body language, I could tell that the
authors had never actually interviewed a psychopath, a terrorist, a “made” Mafia
member, or an intelligence officer from the Soviet KGB. Their findings might be
true in a lab setting, using university students. But they understood little of the
real world. No lab could replicate what I had observed in vivo, and no researcher
could approximate the more than thirteen thousand interviews I had done in my
career, the thousands of hours of surveillance video I had observed, and the
behavioral notations that I had made. Twenty-five years in the FBI was my
graduate school; putting multiple spies in prison based on nonverbal
communications was my dissertation.
A FTER RETIRING FROM the FBI, I wanted to share what I knew about body
language with others. What Every BODY Is Saying, published in 2008, was the
product of that quest. In that book the concepts of “comfort” and “discomfort”
took center stage, and I unveiled the ubiquity of “pacifiers”—such as touching
our faces or stroking our hair—body behaviors we use to deal with everyday
stress. I also sought to explain where these universal behaviors came from,
drawing upon psychological research, evolutionary biology, and cultural
contexts to explain why we do the things we do.
What Every BODY Is Saying became an international best seller; it has been
translated into dozens of languages and has sold more than a million copies
around the world. When I wrote What Every BODY Is Saying, I had no idea how
popular it would become. At my speaking engagements in the years following its
publication, I kept hearing the same thing: people wanted more, and they wanted
it in a more easily accessible format. What many readers asked for was a field
guide of sorts, a quick reference manual for behaviors they might encounter in
day-to-day life.
The Dictionary of Body Language is that field guide. Organized by areas of
the body—moving from the head down to the feet—it contains more than four
hundred of the most important body-language observations I have made over the
course of my career. My hope is that reading through The Dictionary of Body
Language will give you the same insight into human behavior that I and other
FBI agents have used to decode human behavior. Of course, we have used it
when questioning suspects of crime. But you can use it as I have every day since
I came to this country—to more fully understand those we interact with at work
or at play. In social relationships, I can think of no better way to comprehend
your friends or partners than by studying the primary means by which we

If you have ever wondered why we do the things we do, or what a particular
behavior means, my hope is to satisfy your curiosity. As you go through the
dictionary, act out the behaviors that you read about and get a sense for how they
appear as well as they feel. By acting these out, you will better remember them
the next time you see them. If you are like me and enjoy people watching, if you
want to discern what people are thinking, feeling, desiring, fearing, or intending,
whether at work, at home, or in the classroom, read on.

The Head

All behavior, of course, originates from inside the head. The brain is constantly
at work, whether on a conscious or subconscious level. The signals that go out
from the brain regulate the heart, breathing, digestion, and many other functions
—but the exterior of the head is tremendously important as well. The hair,
forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, ears, and chin all communicate in their own
way—from our general health to emotional distress. And so we begin with the
part of the body that, from the time we are born until we die, we look to for
useful information—first as parents, later as friends, work mates, lovers—to
reveal for us what is in the mind.


adornment is used across all cultures for a variety
of reasons. It can communicate leadership status (Native American chiefs’
feather headdresses), occupation (a hard hat or miner’s hat), social status (a
bowler hat or an Yves Saint Laurent pillbox hat), hobbies (bicycle or rockclimbing helmet), religion (cardinal’s cap, Jewish yarmulke), or allegiance
(favorite sports team, labor union). Head adornments may offer insight into
individuals: where they fit in society, their allegiances, their socioeconomic
status, what they believe, how they see themselves, or even the degree to
which they defy convention.



—Sitting conveniently on top of the head, our hair conveys so much
when it comes to nonverbal communication. Healthy hair is something all
humans look for, even on a subconscious level. Hair that is dirty, unkempt,
pulled out, or uncared for may suggest poor health or even mental illness.

Hair attracts, entices, conforms, repels, or shocks. It can even communicate
something about our careers; as renowned anthropologist David Givens
puts it, hair often serves as an “unofficial résumé,” revealing where one
ranks in an organization. And in many cultures hair is critical to dating and
romance. People tend to follow both cultural norms and current trends with
their hair; if they ignore these societal standards, they stand out.


—Playing with our hair (twirling, twisting, stroking) is
a pacifying behavior. It is most frequently utilized by women and might
indicate either a good mood (while reading or relaxing) or stress (when
waiting for an interview, for example, or experiencing a bumpy flight).
Note that when the palm of the hand faces the head it is more likely to be a
pacifier, as opposed to the palm-out orientation discussed below. Pacifying
behaviors soothe us psychologically when we feel stress or anxiety; they
also help us to pass the time. As we grow older we go from pacifying by
sucking our thumbs to such behaviors as lip biting, nail biting, or facial









—When women play with their hair with
the palm of the hand facing out, it is more of a public display of comfort—a
sign that they are content and confident around others. We usually only
expose the underside of our wrists to others when we are comfortable or at
ease. This is often seen in dating scenarios where the woman will play with
her hair, palm out, while talking to someone in whom she is interested.
stressed, men will run their
fingers through their hair both to ventilate their heads (this lets air in to cool
the vascular surface of the scalp) and to stimulate the nerves of the skin as
they press down. This can also be a sign of concern or doubt.
ventilating of hair is a powerful pacifier,
relieving both heat and stress. Women ventilate their hair differently than
men. Women lift up the hair at the back of their neck quickly when
concerned, upset, stressed, or flustered. If they do it repeatedly, most likely
they are overly stressed. Nevertheless, we cannot discount overheating due
to physical activity or ambient temperature as a cause. Men tend to ventilate
on the top of the head by running their fingers through the hair.
—Hair flipping, touching, or pulling is common

when we are trying to attract the attention of a potential mate. The
movement of the hand as it touches the hair is often deemed attractive (note
most any hair commercial). Our orientation reflex (OR), a primitive
reaction that alerts us to any movement, is especially attuned to hand
movements—something magicians have always counted on. A hand
reaching for the hair can draw our attention even from across the room.
Incidentally, the orientation reflex operates on such a subconscious level, it
is even seen in coma patients as the eyes track movement.


—The intentional and repetitive pulling out of hair is called
trichotillomania. Hair pulling is more often seen in children and teenagers
who are experiencing stress, but it is also occasionally seen in adults. Men
tend to pluck hair from the corners of their eyebrows, while women are far
more wide-ranging: plucking their eyelids, head hair, eyebrows, and arm
hair. This is a stress response; even birds will pull out their own feathers
when stressed. The repetitive pulling out of the hair, like a nervous tic,
pacifies by stimulating nerve endings; unfortunately, when it becomes
severe, it requires medical intervention.



conversations nodding serves to affirm, usually in
cadence, that the person is hearing and receptive to a message. Generally, it
signals agreement, except in those situations where the head nodding is
accompanied by lip pursing ( see #154), which might suggest disagreement.



—We usually see this in young children,
as when a parent asks a child “Did you break the lamp?” and the child
answers “No” but nods. This contradictory behavior betrays the truth. I
have seen this with kids, teenagers, and even adults.




—Head scratching soothes us when we have doubts or
feel frustrated, stressed, or concerned. You see it with people trying to
remember information or when they are perplexed. This explains why it is

—When we are perplexed or mentally
conflicted, we often find ourselves patting the back of our head with one
hand, perhaps even stroking our hair downward as we struggle for an
answer. This behavior is soothing because of both the tactile sensation and
the warmth that is generated. Like most hand-to-body touching, this is a
pacifying behavior that reduces stress or anxiety.

often seen by teachers as students ponder a test question. Very rapid head
scratching often signals high stress or concern. It can also signal the person
is conflicted as to what to do next.


—Beyond the function of keeping one’s hair in place,
people will stroke their hair with the palm of the hand to soothe themselves
when stressed or confronted with a dilemma or while pondering how to
answer a question. This is not dissimilar to a mother comforting her child
by stroking the child’s head. This pacifying behavior can have an
immediate calming effect. Once more, this behavior may signal doubt or
conflict, especially if done to the back of the head.









—The simultaneous rubbing of
the belly and the head indicates doubt or wonder. It can also signal
insecurity or incredulity. Interestingly, many primates do this as well.
—The interlacing of the
fingers behind the head with the elbows out is called “hooding” because the
person looks like a cobra when it hoods—making the person seem bigger.
This is a territorial display we do when comfortable and in charge. When
we hood, the interlaced fingers behind the head are both comforting and
soothing, while the elbows out project confidence. Hooding is rarely done
when someone of higher status is present.
who are shocked, in disbelief, or
stupefied might suddenly reach for their head with both hands so that the
hands are near the ears but not touching them, with the elbows out toward
the front. They might hold this position for several seconds as they try to
make sense of what happened. This primitive, self-protective response
might follow when someone has made a major faux pas, such as a driver
crashing into his own mailbox, or a player running toward the wrong goal
performed with the palms
down, this behavior stands out because it is intended to cover the head and
yet the elbows are usually out and wide. We see this when people are
overwhelmed, at an impasse, or struggling, when there has been a calamity
(after hurricanes or tornados by those who lost property), or when things
are not going their way. Note the position of the elbows: as things get

worse, they tend to draw closer together in front of the face almost
unnaturally, as if in a vise. Also note the pressure: the worse the situation,
the greater the downward pressure of the hands. This behavior is quite
different from “hooding” ( see #15), where the palms are placed on the back
of the head and the person is quite confident.

—Under sudden stress, people may suddenly
lift up their hat to ventilate their head. This often occurs when receiving bad
news, during an argument, or after a heated moment. From a safety
perspective, be aware that in situations of high anger (e.g., traffic accidents
or road-rage incidents), disrobing (removing hats, shirts, sunglasses) often
precedes a fight.

The Forehead

From the time we are babies, we begin to scan the forehead for information.
Even at just a few months of age, infants will respond to the furrows on their
mother’s forehead—perceiving it as something negative. This small space
between the bridge of the nose and the hairline reveals to others, in real time,
how we are feeling. It is a remarkable part of the body closely connected to the
brain, which allows us to communicate sentiments quickly, accurately, and


—On some individuals, stress manifests as sudden
tension of the forehead, a result of the stiffening and tensing of underlying
muscles. The face has more than twenty distinct muscle groups that can
create more than four thousand distinct expressions, according to Dr. Paul
Ekman. Six muscles in particular, including the large occipitofrontalis, the
procerus, and the temporalis, account for the tightening or furrowing of the
forehead when we are stressed. Obviously, one has to see people in a calm
environment to get a baseline read on their forehead, but when people are
stressed, tension of the forehead is frequently very noticeable and is an
excellent indicator that something is wrong.



—Furrowing of the forehead in response to a
stimulus is usually a good indicator that something is amiss, there are
issues, or a person is insecure. It is also seen when people are concentrating
or trying to make sense of something. Furrowing of the forehead is usually
associated with doubt, tension, anxiety, or concern. Keep in mind that
Botox, which many use for cosmetic purposes to obscure stress lines on the
forehead, might mask true sentiments.



—Both men and women are now taking
advantage of Botox injections to erase stress lines on their foreheads. This
has created problems for couples and even for children who would
normally look to the forehead for information as to how a person might
feel. Babies as young as four weeks old will respond to a furrowed forehead
as something negative. Interestingly, both children and adults have reported
an inability to read their parents or their spouses who have used Botox for
emotional cues as easily as they could before.


—On some individuals, their life struggles are marked by
deep grooves on their forehead, even at a young age. Life experiences often
etch our foreheads with lines, furrows, and other indentations. The forehead
can reflect a difficult or stressful life or a life that has been spent outdoors
in the sun, which tends to make forehead markings more prevalent.







tend to massage our foreheads when we have
headaches (literally), when we are processing information, or when we have
worries, concerns, doubts, or anxiety. It is a pacifying behavior, which helps
to soothe tension or apprehension.




the degree of stress is high enough, some people
begin to spontaneously sweat. Sweating is very individual. Some sweat
profusely with their first sip of coffee, or climbing a flight of stairs, so make
sure to get a baseline of this behavior before jumping to any conclusion.
Baseline behaviors are those behaviors we equate with “normal,” when a
person is not stressed or overly affected by emotions.
—When a person is under stress, the superficial
temporal veins (those nearest the skin on the sides of our heads and just
behind the eyes) might pulse or throb visibly. It is a very accurate indicator
of autonomic arousal due to anxiety, concern, fear, anger, or, occasionally,
excitement. Autonomic arousal is the brain’s way of automatically going
into survival mode—compelling the heart and the lungs to work faster in
anticipation of physical activity such as running or fighting.

—Pointing a finger at the forehead or making a
screwing motion with the finger while pointing at the forehead is very
insulting—it means that the observer is ill informed, stupid, or crazy. This is
a culturally based cue, generally seen in Germany, Switzerland, and

Austria, where it is very offensive, and sometimes in the U.S. Because it is
insulting it should be avoided.


the hand flat against the forehead
helps relieve tension caused by stress, doubt, or insecurity. This is different
from slapping the hand on the forehead; it looks as though the person is
trying to push his head backward. As with so many other behaviors, this is
intended to soothe the individual psychologically through tactile pressure
on the skin.





—The area between the eyes is pulled together, often
causing furrowing or knitting of the eyebrows. The eyes may squint or look
away, and sometimes the head is canted slightly to the side. We often see
this distressed look when someone is struggling with something mentally or
trying to work through a problem. It usually results from a high cognitive
load (arduous thinking or recalling).
or embarrassment will cause some
to actually cover their forehead with headgear (a hat, visor, or hood). We
generally see this in children and teenagers but also sometimes in adults. I
have often watched drivers do this when being ticketed for speeding. It is
almost as if they are trying to hide in shame.

The Eyebrows

The eyebrows lie just above the supraorbital arches of the eye sockets and serve
a variety of purposes. They protect our eyes from dust, light, and moisture, but
they also communicate how we feel. From an early age we rely on people’s
eyebrows to help us interpret their facial expressions. And in many cultures,
eyebrows are an aesthetic concern: something to be tweezed, shaped, plucked,
colored, highlighted, waxed, stylized, removed, or extenuated. Like the rest of
our face, the eyebrows are controlled by a variety of muscles ( corrugator
supercilii principally, but also the nasalis and levator labii superioris from our
nose), and thus can be very expressive and communicate exquisitely our


—Eyebrow arching or flashing
conveys excitement (such as when greeting a close friend) or the
recognition of something pleasing. We arch our brows in less than one-fifth
of a second. It is a gravity-defying behavior, as it is performed in an upward
direction, and as with most gravity-defying behaviors, it signifies
something positive. Babies just a few months old light up when their
mother flashes her eyebrows. Here is a great behavior to let others know we
care and are happy to see them. A happy eyebrow flash can be immensely
useful and powerful in everyday situations both at home and at work.



—We flash our eyebrows when we recognize
someone we know and cannot speak up at that moment, or simply to
recognize a person’s presence, with or without a smile, depending on
circumstances. We are quick to notice when this courtesy is not extended to
us, for example, when we enter a store and the clerk makes no effort to
establish any kind of eye contact. We can let others know we value them,
though we may be occupied, with a very simple eyebrow flash.



—This occurs when a person is presented with
an unwanted surprise or shock. Coupled with other behaviors such as a
tense face or lip compression, it can let us know someone has experienced
something very negative. It is the tension in the muscles that control the
eyebrows that differentiates this behavior from the eyebrow greeting
described above and it is held for a few seconds longer.



arch our eyebrows with our
mouths closed, chin toward the neck when we hear something we
immediately question or are very surprised to hear or learn. When we
witness an embarrassing situation we also employ this behavior, as if to say,
“I heard that and I didn’t like it.” It is a look teachers often give to
misbehaving students.





—People use this signal when they have doubts or
uncertainty. One eyebrow will arch high, while the other remains in the
normal position or sinks lower. Asymmetry signals that the person is
questioning or doubting what is being said. The actor Jack Nicholson is
famous for questioning what others say, on- and offscreen, by this method.
—The area between the eyes and just
above the nose is called the glabella, and when the glabella becomes
narrow or furrowed, it usually means there is an issue, concern, or dislike.
This universal sign may happen very quickly and thus can be difficult to
detect, but it is an accurate reflection of sentiments. Some people will knit
their brow when they hear something troubling or are trying to make sense
of what they’re being told. The sentiment is communicated with the ><

The Eyes

Our eyes are the visual gateway to the world around us. From the moment we
are born, we are scanning for information in familiar faces, movement or
novelty, color, shading, symmetry, and always for the aesthetically pleasing. Our
visual cortex, large in proportion to the rest of the brain, seeks novelty and new
experiences. Our eyes show love and compassion as well as fear and disdain.
Welcoming or joyous eyes can make our day. But eyes can also let us know that
something is wrong, that there are worries or concerns. Eyes can own a room or
cower in a crowd of strangers. We adorn our eyes to attract and avert them to
avoid. They are usually the first thing we notice in others, which is why when a
baby is born we spend so much time looking at the eyes. Perhaps because we
truly are looking through the window to their soul.


—When we are comfortable or like something or someone
we encounter, our pupils dilate. We have no control over this. When
couples are at ease around each other their pupils dilate as their eyes try to
soak up as much light as possible. This is why dimly lit restaurants are a
good place to meet, as it naturally softens the eyes and makes the pupils
larger—an effect that makes us relax even more around others.





—Our pupils constrict when we see something we
don’t like or when we have negative emotions. Pupil constriction is easier
to detect in light-colored eyes. Pupils suddenly shrinking to pinpoints
suggest something negative has just transpired. Interestingly, our brain
governs this activity to make sure that our eyes are focused in times of
distress, as the smaller the aperture, the greater the clarity. This is why
squinting improves focus.
eyes signal comfort and confidence. When we are
at ease, the muscles around the eyes, the forehead, and the cheeks relax—

but the minute we are stressed or something bothers us, they become tense.
Babies often demonstrate this quite strikingly, as their facial muscles
suddenly scrunch up before they begin to cry. When trying to interpret any
body-language behavior, always refer back to the eyes for congruence. If
the orbits (eye sockets) look relaxed, chances are all is well. If suddenly
there is tension around the eyes or squinting, the person is focusing or
might be stressed. The muscles of the eyes and the sur rounding tissue react
to stressors much more quickly than other facial muscles do, offering
almost immediate insight into a person’s mental state.


—When we feel stressed, upset, threatened, or
other negative emotions, the orbits of the eyes will narrow due to the
contraction of underlying muscles. The brain immediately makes the eye
orbits smaller in response to apprehension, concern, or doubt. It is a good
indicator that there is an issue or something is wrong.









—The tiny muscles directly under the eyes (the
inferior underside of the Obicularis oculi) and just above the cheekbones,
as well as the surrounding tissue, can be very sensitive to stress. When there
is concern, anxiety, or fear, these soft areas will quiver or twitch, revealing
the person’s true emotional state.
—Blink rates can vary depending on environment and the
amount of stress or arousal a person is experiencing. Each individual is
different, but a typical rate is between sixteen and twenty blinks per minute,
depending on lighting conditions and humidity. People looking at
computers blink less (many of whom complain of dry eyes or eye infections
—tears have antibacterial properties), while those who work where there is
dust or pollen will blink more. Also, be aware that wearing contact lenses
can increase how often we blink. When we are around someone who
arouses us, our blink rate also tends to increase.
—People who are nervous, tense, or stressed will
generally blink more rapidly than those who are not. Frequent blinking is
erroneously associated with deception. It is only indicative of stress or other
factors noted above as even the honest blink more frequently when being
questioned aggressively.
—Eye contact is governed by cultural norms and personal

preferences. In some cultures it is permissible to look at someone for three
to four seconds, while in others anything beyond two seconds is considered
rude. Culture also determines who can look at whom. Even in America, eye
contact is determined by what area of the country you are from. In New
York City, staring at someone for more than a second and a half might be
perceived as an affront. Particular ethnic and cultural groups have their own
norms. For instance, many African American and Hispanic children are
taught to look down when addressed by elders, as a form of respect.


—We avoid eye contact when it is inconvenient to talk to
someone, or when we find a person unlikable, obnoxious, or repressive. In
prison, for example, inmates will avoid eye contact with jailers or inmates
known to be aggressive. Eye avoidance can be temporary or long term.
Temporarily, people might avert their eyes when a person does something
embarrassing. And in the United States, unlike other parts of the world,
when we are in close proximity, as in an elevator, we tend to avoid making
eye contact with strangers and even with those we know, especially if there
are strangers present. Eye avoidance is not indicative of deception, but it
can indicate shame or embarrassment.







—All over the world, studies have shown that highstatus individuals engage in more eye contact, while both speaking and
listening. Less powerful people tend to make more eye contact with these
higher-status individuals while listening but less while speaking. In Japan as
well as other Asian Pacific countries this is even more pronounced.
Incidentally, we tend to favor individuals who make direct eye contact with
us, especially if they are of higher status. Eye contact from high social
status individuals, movie stars, for instance, makes us feel favored.
we are interested in starting a conversation,
whether in a social or a dating environment, we will actively scan until we
make eye contact that says “I am here—please talk to me.”
—Around the world, those who study dating cues
have noted that oftentimes the first clue that people’s feeling for each other
have changed is how they look at each other. Long before words are
exchanged, the look of increased interest telegraphs that the relationship is
changing from friendly to more intimate. How Julie Andrews (as Maria)
began to change the way she looked at Christopher Plummer (Captain Von

Trapp) in the movie The Sound of Music or how Emma Stone (Mia)
changed the way she looked at Ryan Gosling’s character (Sebastian) in La
La Land is emblematic of how our gaze changes to reflect our changing
sentiment before our words do. It is true in real life as well as in the movies.


—This is a behavior intended to get the attention of
another person in a warm or romantic way. What makes this behavior stand
out is the softness of the face and the repeated attempts to connect, eye to
eye, always with a gentleness of the eyes, face, and mouth. We most often
see this in dating settings, where it lets the other person know you are
interested in further contact or proximity. I have seen strangers engage
gazes across broad spaces, communicating their yearning.


—There is a big difference between gazing at
someone and staring at someone. Staring tends to be more impersonal,
distant, or confrontational, signaling that we find someone suspicious,
alarming, or odd. On the other hand, gazing signals that we take comfort in
someone, a much more inviting behavior. When we stare we are on alert;
when we gaze we are intrigued, even welcoming. Staring can trigger
offense, especially in close quarters such as a bus or subway.








—During a meeting, someone with closed eyes that take a
long time to open or that suddenly shut and remain so for longer than usual
is probably having issues. It is a blocking behavior that reveals dislike,
concern, disbelief, or worries—some form of psychological discomfort.
Long delays in eye opening reveal deep concern. Conversely, in an intimate
setting, closed eyes say, “I trust you, I am blocking everything else out, and
I am in the moment with my other senses.” Notably, even children born
blind will cover their eyes when they hear things they don’t like or they find
—Oftentimes, when we want to emphasize
something or agree in congruence, we will close the eyes ever so briefly. It
is a way of affirming what is being said. As with all behaviors, context is
key to ensure it is not a reflection of disagreement.
covering of the eyes with a hand or fingers is
a blocking behavior associated with a negative event, such as the revelation
of bad news or threatening information. It also indicates negative emotions,

worry, or lack of confidence. You also see it with people who have been
caught doing something wrong. As I note above, congenitally blind children
will also do this, though they cannot explain why; clearly this behavior has
an ancient evolutionary basis.


who close their eyes
and rub the bridge of their nose at the same time are transmitting that they
are concerned or worried. This is both a blocking behavior and a pacifier,
usually associated with negative emotions, dislike, insecurities, concern, or









—Crying serves a variety of personal as well as social purposes,
most notably providing a cathartic emotional release. Unfortunately,
children also learn quickly that crying can be used as a tool to manipulate,
and some adults don’t hesitate to use it similarly. In observing a person’s
behavior, crying should not be given any more weight than other signals
that a person is having a hard time. Crying, if it occurs with great frequency,
can also let us know when someone is clinically depressed or struggling
—Individuals who cry while clutching
at their neck, necklace, or shirt collar are likely undergoing more serious
negative emotions than a person merely crying.
—Eyes that dart back and forth feverishly are usually
associated with the processing of negative information, doubt, anxiety, fear,
or concern. Use this behavior in conjunction with other information such as
facial tension or chin withdrawal ( see #184) to provide a more accurate
assessment. It should be noted that some people will dart their eyes back
and forth as they analyze a situation, consider options, or think of solutions.
This behavior alone is not itself indicative of deception.
—As we process a thought, an emotion, or a question
posed to us, we tend to look laterally, downward, or up and to the side. This
is referred to as conjugate lateral eye movement (CLEM) in the scientific
literature. There has been a myth for decades, now well debunked by more
than twenty studies, that a person looking away or to the side while
answering a question is being deceptive. All we can say when someone
looks in a certain direction as they process a question or as they answer it, is

that they are thinking—it is not per se indicative of deception.


—Sudden eyelid fluttering suggests that something is
wrong or that a person is struggling with something (think of the actor
Hugh Grant, who often flutters his eyes on-screen when he has issues or has
messed something up). People often flutter their eyes when they are
struggling to find the right word or can’t believe what they just heard or
witnessed. Incredulity is often observed as eyelid fluttering.













—In some cultures an index finger just under an eye
communicates doubt or suspicion. But many people across cultures also do
this subconsciously in the form of a light scratching motion as they ponder
or question something being said. When traveling abroad, ask locals if this
means anything special. In Romania, I was told that the finger under the eye
was a sign often used to communicate “Be careful, we don’t trust everyone
who is listening.”
—Pointing of the index finger just under the eye
(see #59) clustered with eyebrow arching and compressed lips
simultaneously conveys doubt, bewilderment, or incredulity. This is
especially accurate if the chin is tucked in rather than jutted out.
of the eyes communicates contempt, disagreement,
or dislike. Children often do it to their parents to communicate contention
or rebellion. It has no place in a professional setting.
touching can be a form of eye blocking coupled
with tension relief. Often when people say something they shouldn’t have,
people nearby will touch or scratch their closed eyelid—this is a good
indicator that something improper was uttered. You see this often with
politicians when one misspeaks and another catches it.
—Fatigue usually shows in the eyes first. The eyes and the
area around them look strained, puffy, weathered, even discolored. This
may be due to long hours working; external factors, such as stress; or
—When alone, or even in conversation with others, staring
into the distance, avoiding distractions, allows some people to think or
contemplate more effectively. This may be a signal not to interrupt someone

when they are deep in thought or recollection.

—Any number of things can cause the eyes to look glazed,
including drugs such as marijuana and alcohol as well as more dangerous
substances. When trying to assess whether a person is under the influence
of drugs or alcohol, an observer will want to take other behaviors into
consideration, such as slurred speech or slowness to respond.












—Looking askance (sideways) is often used to show a
person’s doubt, reluctance to commit, disregard, suspiciousness, or even
contempt. It is a universal look that reflects disbelief, concerns, or
—We often see this dramatic look upward at
the sky, with the head tilted back, when suddenly things seem impossible or
a person has had a run of bad luck. We see this in sports, such as when a
golfer misses a putt. It is a look of disbelief, as if imploring someone on
high, in the heavens, to help us or take pity on us. This behavior does have
some utility; stress causes tension of the neck, which this position can help
relieve by stretching the sternocleidomastoid muscles of the neck.
individuals lack confidence or lie, they
tend to scrutinize their audience, scanning faces to see if they are being
believed. This behavior is not necessarily demonstrative of deception, only
of seeking acceptance for what is said. A rule of thumb: the truth teller
merely conveys, while the liar often tries to convince.
is different from eye avoidance in that the individual
does not break eye contact but rather shows deference, piety, humility, or
contriteness by slightly lowering the eyes so that eye contact is not direct or
intense. This is often culture based, and we see it frequently with children
who are taught not to look back at elders or authority figures when being
chastised. Black and Latino children are often taught to look down as a
form of respect, which should in no circumstances be confused for an
attempt to deceive. In Japan it is rude to stare intently at the eyes of a
person you meet for the first time; at a minimum, the eyelids must be
lowered out of social deference.
—Eyes look sad, dejected, or depressed when the upper eyelids

droop and seem to have no energy. The look may be similar, however, to
eyelids drooping from fatigue.


—Looking away when conversing has to be viewed in
context. When there is psycho logical comfort, such as when talking to
friends, we may feel relaxed enough to look away as we tell a story or
remember something from the past. Many individuals find looking away
helps them recall details. Looking away is not an indication of deception or








—A stare can intimidate or serve as the prelude to
an altercation. Aggression is signaled by the laser-like focus on the eyes,
with no attempt to look away or even blink. Interestingly, other primates
also engage in this behavior when observing behaviors that are not tolerated
or when there is about to be a physical confrontation.





—In conversations, silence is often accompanied by a long
stare. It can be directed at a person or at something in the distance; it merely
indicates that the person is in deep thought or processing information.
—Squinting is an easy way to register displeasure or concern,
especially when we hear or see something we don’t like. Some people
squint whenever they hear something bothersome, making this an accurate
reflection of their feelings. But keep in mind that we also squint when we
are simply focusing on something or trying to make sense of something we
have heard, so context is crucial in interpreting this behavior.
—Often when we are subduing anger we will squint
slightly with lowered eyelids. This behavior (narrowing of the slits of the
eyes) must be considered in context with other behaviors such as facial
tension or, in extreme circumstances, the making of a fist.

—Anger is usually displayed by a constellation of facial cues
beginning with the distinctive narrowing of the eyes near the nose (like this:
> < ), coupled with a wrinkled or dilated nose and sometimes the pulling
back of the lips to reveal clenched teeth.
—Eyes that remain wide usually indicate stress,
surprise, fear, or a significant issue. If the eyes remain stiffly wide longer
than usual, something is definitely wrong. This is usually caused by an

external stimulus.

—Since the time of the Egyptian pyramids, women and
men across the globe have adorned their eyes (eyelids, under the eye, the
sides, etc.) with a variety of colors to make themselves more aesthetically
appealing. Using inks, dyes, minerals, and oils, people have made this part
of their cultural traditions, and it has been passed down to our modern
society for a reason: it works. We are attracted to eyes, even more so when
they are adorned with colors. We are also attracted to long, thick eyelashes
—something that mostly women but some men accentuate to make
themselves more appealing.

The Ears

Cute ears, little ears, sagging ears, deformed ears, big ears, perforated ears,
adorned ears. Our ears stick out—sometimes quite literally—and serve some
obvious practical functions, from collecting information through sound waves to
helping us dissipate heat. But the ears have other utilities you might not have
thought about, offering significant nonverbal communication. We know from
research that in the early stages of a relationship, lovers spend time studying
each other’s ears—how they are shaped, how warm they are, how they respond
to human touch and even emotions. The ears communicate much more than we
think, and in ways that can be quite surprising.


—Pulling on or massaging the earlobe
tends to have a subtle, soothing effect when we are stressed or merely
contemplating something. I also associate earlobe rubbing with doubt,
hesitation, or weighing of options. In some cultures it means that a person
has reservations or is not sure about what is being said. Actor Humphrey
Bogart was notorious for playing with his earlobe as he pondered questions.





noticeable flushing of the skin of the
ear, as with other parts of the body (face, neck) may be caused by anger,
embarrassment, hormonal changes, reactions to medicine, or autonomic
arousal caused by fear or anxiety. The skin covering the ear turns pink, red,
or purplish. The skin might also feel hot to the touch. Just having one’s
personal space violated might cause this reaction. Most people have no
control over skin blushing ( hyperemia) and for some it is very
—Turning or leaning our ear toward a speaker conveys that

we are listening intently, we want something repeated, or we are hard of
hearing. This may be followed by cupping of the ear to literally collect
more sound. In dating, we will allow someone we like intimately to draw
near our ear, especially when it is extended in that person’s direction.


—Active listening is an essential nonverbal in both professional
and personal settings. It communicates that we are interested, receptive, or
empathetic. Good listeners yield their turn, wait to speak, and are patient
when others are speaking. To accom plish this we make sure that we face
the person we are interested in hearing so that both ears can receive the





are any number of ways to decorate, deform,
perforate, color, plug, or change the natural look of the ears to fit cultural
norms. Ear ornamentation is mostly culture-specific and serves a clear
purpose—to communicate social status, courtship availability, or group
identification. Ear ornamentation often gives us very accurate insight into a
person’s background, occupation, social status, heritage, or personality.
—Heat, chemicals, or trauma can damage ear cartilage and
tissue. Rugby players, wrestlers, and judokas are susceptible to damaged
ears, sometimes called “cauliflower ears.”

The Nose

At birth, all mammals’ noses seek out the mother’s milk, which allows them to
survive. As humans grow older, our noses continue to help us find the foods we
like and to keep us safe, warning us of food that is putrefied or of odors that
would do us harm, while helping to filter the air that enters our lungs. When it
comes to romance and intimacy, our noses pick up on others’ pheromones,
making us draw closer while helping us determine subconsciously whether or
not we like a person. We may pierce our noses or shape them, as a result of
cultural cues, to be thinner, wider, less curved, or more petite. The muscles that
cover and surround the nose are so sensitive that when we dislike what we smell,
they immediately contract, wrinkling our noses to reveal our disgust. Noses help
to distinguish us from others physically, they protect us from harmful chemicals
and bacteria, and as you will see, they are essential to communication and to
understanding others.


—The sudden covering of the nose and
mouth with both hands is associated with shock, surprise, insecurity, fear,
doubt, or apprehension. We witness this at tragic events such as car
accidents and natural disasters as well as when someone receives horrible
news. Evolutionary psychologists speculate that this behavior may have
been adapted so that predators, such as lions or hyenas, would not hear us
breathing. It is seen universally.



signal or cue for disgust usually
involves the nose wrinkling upward (also known as a “bunny nose”), while
the skin contracts along with the underlying muscle (the nasalis), which is
very sensitive to negative emotions. Often this gesture will cause the

corners of the eyes near the nose to also narrow. Babies, beginning at the
age of roughly three months and sometimes even earlier, will wrinkle their
noses when they smell things they don’t like. This disgust cue remains with
us all our lives. When we smell, hear, or even just see something we don’t
like, our nasalis muscle contracts involuntarily, revealing our true


—As noted above, nose wrinkling or
crinkling upward is an accurate indicator of dislike or displeasure and
usually occurs on both sides of the nose. However, there are people in
whom this occurs only on one side of the nose (uni laterally). As the nose
muscles pull upward, wrinkling just one side, they also tend to pull the
upper lip of that side of the face. Some people call it the Elvis effect. When
the side of the nose is noticeably pulled up, it means the same thing as the
full nose wrinkle—dislike.



—This behavior is somewhat similar to the
disgust display above (see #86) but occurs much faster, sometimes in as
little as th of a second. When a person looks directly at someone, the nose
muscle will contract rapidly, wrinkling the nose upward—but without the
eyes squinting as in the disgust cue above. This behavior is a linguistic
shortcut that wordlessly asks “What’s going on?” “What happened?” “What
do you need?” It is seen throughout the Caribbean, including in Cuba,
Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, and thus also found in U.S. cities
that have large Caribbean populations such as Miami and New York. At the
Miami International Airport, I’m frequently greeted at the coffee counter
with this nose twitch, which means “What can I get you?” If you see it, just
place your order.



—Placing the index finger under the nose or on the
side of the nose for a period of time is sometimes associated with
pensiveness or concern. Look for other clues to help you discern what it
means. This behavior is different from sneaking a nose feel ( see #95) or
nose stroking, as in this case the finger just lingers there for a long time.



—This distinctive behavior of brushing one’s nose very
lightly several times with the index finger is usually associated with stress
or psychological discomfort, though it can also present in someone
pondering something dubious or questionable.



—A high nose profile—an intentional tilting of the
head, with the nose pointed upward—indicates confidence, superiority,
arrogance, or even indignation. It is a cultural display, seen in some
countries and societies more than in others. It may signal superiority, such
as when high-status individuals affirm their rank at the start of a meeting.
Italian dictator Mussolini was famous for this, as was General Charles de
Gaulle of France. In Russia, the ceremonial guards at the Kremlin are
notorious for this nose-high behavior.











—In many cultures a very overt tapping of the
nose with the index finger can mean “This stinks,” “I don’t trust you,” “I
question this,” or “I am watching you very carefully.” It can also mean “I
notice you,” “You are very clever,” or “I acknowledge you” (Paul Newman
and Robert Redford did this to each other in the movie The Sting).
—We usually flare our nostrils (naral wings) in
preparation for doing something physical. Frequently, people who are upset,
feel they have to get up or run out, or are about to violently act out will flare
their nostrils as they oxygenate. In police work it may signal a person is
about to run. Interpersonally, it is a good marker that a person needs a
moment to calm down.
—The grooved area just above the upper lip and
below the nose is the philtrum. People will play with this area by plucking
at it, scratching it, or pulling on it when stressed—sometimes rather
energetically. The philtrum is also revealing in other ways—sweat tends to
gather there when people are stressed. They might also place the tongue
between the teeth and the back of the philtrum, pushing it out. Stimulation
of this area with the tongue is an easily spotted pacifier.
—Sneaking a pacifying touch by ever so slightly
rubbing the nose with the index finger indicates tension that is being
masked and the need to convey the perception that everything is fine. Look
for it from professionals who are accustomed to being in control but are
under stress. It is also often seen in poker players who are trying to hide a
weak hand.
—Many people, when about to deliver bad or
unpleasant news, will rapidly inhale through the nose, loudly enough to be

heard, before they speak. I have also seen people do this as they hear a
question that bothers them, and in some instances before they lie. The hairs
and the nerves in the nose are very sensitive to moisture as well as air
movement and touch. The quick inhale stimulates the hairs and the
connected nerve endings, which appears to momentarily mitigate the stress
of having to say or reveal something that is troubling.

The Mouth

The mouth is essential for eating, breathing, and drinking and is also, of course,
where we form and pronounce words. Highly sensitive to touch and temperature,
the mouth is surrounded by more than ten intricately reflexive muscles that not
only respond to touch but also reflect our thoughts and sentiments. The mouth
can be seductive or sad, joyous or pained—and it accurately registers when one
emotion gives way to another in an instant. After we look at the eyes for
information, it is here where we search for additional cues as to what is in the







—This type of exhale, where the lips are left
slightly open, indicates high stress or frustration. People exhibit this
behavior when hearing bad news or when confronted with a difficult
situation. It helps relieve stress, especially when we are angry.
—Exhaling with puffed-out cheeks and tight lips
indicates that stress is being experienced or has passed. You might see this
when a test or an interview is over or after a near accident. This exhale is
very audible and takes longer to perform than the above version.
—A sudden loud inhaling makes a distinct sound
that is used in Scandinavian countries, parts of the United Kingdom, and
Ireland to signify “Yes” or “Yes, I agree.” It is a linguistic shortcut, as no
words need to be used. The person quickly inhales loudly enough to sound
as if she is gasping for air. Once, after a car ride in Sweden, when I asked if
we had arrived, the driver merely did an affirmative inhale—and that was it.
—This behavior is both seen
and heard. The corners of mouth suddenly open slightly and air is quickly

inhaled, making a sucking sound. It is extremely reliable in what it reveals:
fright, concern, or anxiety. That the majority of the mouth is closed signifies
that the person is, in essence, restricting free movement of the lips, an
action that suggests stress and in some cases pain, such as when someone
steps on your toes.


know this well: when stressed, many
people have an impulse to hold their breath to try to contain their nervous
breathing. Often they even have to be told to breathe. Holding one’s breath
is part of the freeze, flight, fight response. If you see someone restraining
their breathing or actually holding their breath when asked a question, most
likely they are experiencing fear or apprehension.









—Stress, fear, and apprehension can cause our mouths to dry
out (the clinical term for this is xerostomia). Some prescribed medicines as
well as illicit drugs may also cause dryness of the mouth. A dry mouth is
not, as some believe, indicative of deception. It can, however, indicate that
someone is stressed or anxious.
mouth due to stress, medication, or illness
can cause saliva to become dry and clumpy; these clumps—they often look
like little cotton balls—tend to collect in the corners of the mouth. They are
sometimes noticeable in speakers who are nervous. It is quite distracting. If
you are nervous, it is a good habit to pinch and wipe the corners of your
mouth to avoid saliva balls as well as drink water. The clinical term for a
dry mouth is xerostomia.
chewing is an effective pacifier. Chewing vigorously
might signal concern or anxiety. Some people, when stressed, will chew
rapidly out of habit even if they don’t have gum in their mouths.
—Sudden vocal projection of noises, clicks, chirps, or throat
clearing can be alarming if one is not acquainted with Tourette’s syndrome
(TS), or other disorders that contribute to vocal tics. Stress and anxiety may
be the catalysts for Tourette’s outbursts, and there is nothing for us to do but
recognize that this is out of the person’s control. It is also not uncommon to
see the arms move erratically. The best we can do is encourage others not to
stare, as this is embarrassing for the person with TS.



—Some individuals under stress will bite their
tongue or the inside of their cheeks in order to soothe their nerves. It is very
pronounced in those for whom it has become a nervous tic. The tongue will
appear wounded or even ulcerated in places. Under stress the behavior is of
course heightened. Unfortunately, tongue and cheek biting, like repeated
hair pulling, can become pathological.




YAWNING —Yawning







—When we are afraid or realize we made a mistake,
we often find ourselves involuntarily exposing the bottom row of clenched
teeth as the corners of the mouth stretch substantially downward and to the
side. This is often seen when we are reminded that we forgot to bring
something important.
is an excellent pacifier, as it relieves pent-up stress by
stimulating nerves in the jaw; specifically the temporomandibular joint. It
was also recently discovered that the rapid intake of air when we yawn
cools the blood circulating within the palate of the mouth and, like a car
radiator, the blood going to the brain. Yawning may indicate that someone
is too hot or, as I often found during interviews, that an interviewee was
severely stressed. Babies wrapped too warmly will also yawn with greater
frequency as they sleep to help them cool down.
—People who smoke do so more often when they are stressed.
Note any deviations from a person’s normal smoking routine as evidence of
how stressed they may be. They may be so stressed they lose count of how
many cigarettes they have lit. Excessive smoking also leads to tobacco
stains on the fingers and, of course, the stench in their hands.
stress some people will overeat, sometimes going far
beyond their normal food intake. I have seen people during a football game
consume vast amounts of food, to the point of getting sick, their anxiety
over the status of their favorite team transferred to their appetite.
—Pushing the tongue firmly against one cheek and
holding it in place serves to relieve tension. This is most often seen in
individuals facing high stress or in those hiding information or who are
getting away with something. It can also be seen in those who are being
playful or cheeky.



the tongue suddenly protrudes between the teeth,
sometimes without touching the lips, it means “I got away with something”
or “Oops, I got caught.” You also see it when people catch themselves
making a mistake. The tongue jut is universal and is remarkable in its
consistency, whether it is indicating that you got away with a great bargain
or an extra cookie, a higher grade, or a whopper of a lie.




—Oftentimes, while performing a complex task,
people will stick out their tongue, usually to one side or the other, or drape
it over their lower lip. I had an accountant who did this as he entered
numbers into a calculator, and I see it all the time at the university when
students are taking tests. This tongue placement serves dual purposes: it
pacifies us while simultaneously communicating to others that we are busy
and should not be disturbed. Michael Jordan famously did this while
playing basketball; when his tongue was out, two points usually soon





—In almost all cultures the sticking out of the tongue is
used as an insult, a display of disgust or dislike. Children use this technique
from a very young age when they want to insult one another. Pacific Island
warriors such as the Māori will dramatically stick their tongue out and
down as a way to intimidate and insult. Coupled with very wide eyes, a
stuck-out tongue can be quite intimidating, and it is still used to this day in
Māori haka ceremonies.

—People might press their tongue
against the roof of their mouth when they are struggling with something. It
is seen in people taking tests, filling out applications, after missing a shot in
basketball, or when somebody needs psychological comforting. The mouth
is generally left slightly open, allowing observers to at least partially see the
—As with lip licking (see #145), we lick our teeth
when our mouth is dry—usually due to nervousness, anxiety, or fear. The
rubbing of the tongue across the teeth and/or gums is a universal stress
reliever, as well as a potential sign of dehydration. Incidentally, when this is
done with the mouth closed, you can see the tongue track across the teeth
under the lips.


—To relieve stress some people will dart their tongue
back and forth from corner to corner of their mouth (noticeable through the
cheeks) in nervous or worried anticipation. Usually they think they are not
being noticed or that the meaning of this behavior cannot be deciphered.














—The flicking of the thumbnail on the teeth
releases stress. People who do this repeatedly are trying to soothe
themselves because they are anxious about something. Keep in mind,
however, that as with all repetitive behaviors, if people do it all the time,
then you ignore that behavior because that is their “norm”—it may be more
significant when they stop doing it.
—Sometimes people suddenly pull the corners of the mouth
back and hold that position while they show their clenched teeth. This is a
legacy “fear grin” very similar to what chimpanzees do when they are
scared or fear a dominant male. We humans tend to bare our teeth this way
when we get caught doing something we shouldn’t be doing. This behavior
might be coupled with a simultaneous arching of the eyebrows, depending
on the circumstances.
—When stressed, bored, or frustrated, some people will
shift their jaw slightly and tap their canines together, favoring one side of
the mouth or the other. This sends repetitive signals to the brain that help
soothe us.
—The tone of our voice can make people comfortable or feel
like we are challenging them. We can use the tone of our voice to alter or
enhance how we are perceived. You can come off as nice, sweet, kind,
loving, and knowledgeable, depending on your tone of voice or
alternatively as suspicious, indignant, or arrogant. Tone of voice matters
greatly. Ironically, if you want to get people’s attention, lowering your tone
of voice will work best. A lower voice is also soothing, as any parent who
has put a child to bed will attest.
we are nervous our voices tend to rise in pitch. Listen
for voices that rise or crack when a person is stressed, nervous, or insecure.
This is caused by vocal-cord tension.
—Uptalk is when people inflect their tone up at the end of a

declarative sentence, as though it were a question. Studies show that even a
single instance of uptalk on the phone can negatively impact the listener’s
impression of the speaker. Though uptalk is popular with many young
people, it makes them sound tentative and lacking in confidence.

—Some individuals pathologically stutter
(repeating syllables as they try to speak). For some it can be quite
debilitating, as in the case of England’s King George VI, famously depicted
by Colin Firth in the 2010 movie The King’s Speech. For many of us who
do not stutter pathologically, a high degree of stress or anxiety can cause us
to temporarily stutter or stammer.




SILENCE —A prolonged






—Many people erroneously believe that a delay in
answering a question signals that a person is lying or is buying time in an
attempt to muster a credible answer. Unfortunately, both the honest and the
dishonest may delay an answer but for different reasons. The guilty may in
fact have to think about what to say while the innocent may be thinking
about how best to say it. In my experience, a delay in answering should
make us take note but is not indicative of deception. In some cultures—for
instance, among many Native Americans—a delay in answering is not
unusual as the person contemplates the complexity and nuance of a
question. Stress or fatigue can also make us slow to answer. A formal
inquiry may also cause us to delay answering because of the seriousness of
the hearing.
silence, or even just a “pregnant pause,” may speak
volumes. Sometimes, when we cannot remember information or we are
contemplating something, a silence is unintentional. But other times it is
very much intended, as when a negotiator may go temporarily silent to get
the other party to fill in the void. Silence can be used to communicate that
the person is pondering, recollecting, considering, processing, or is
nonplussed. Great actors use it effectively, as do interviewers.
—When a person suddenly goes silent and
stops moving or undergoes breathing changes upon hearing or seeing
something, take note. This is a response to something negative that shocks
them or causes them to reassess what they know or believe.
—Arguing for the sole purpose of disrupting a

meeting or a conversation is an often-used technique to prevent further
discussion. It is the repetitive interruption, not the words used, that is the
nonverbal here that distracts or antagonizes. The technique does not further
a conversation or provide any clarity, it is clearly intended to aggravate,
intimidate, or place someone on emotional “tilt.” I have seen this many
times in union meetings as members disrupt a speaker.


this form of a cathartic exhale, we come close
to saying a word but never get there. “Ohhhh” or “woooo” or “fuuuuh” is
uttered but never completed. These are considered nonverbals because the
actual words are not spoken, though we can often intuit their meaning.
Often these utterances don’t make sense, especially to foreigners, but they
help us to relieve stress without offending anyone.









—How fast we speak is a key nonverbal indicator. In
some parts of America people speak very slowly and deliberately, while in
others speech is fast and clipped. These styles communicate something
about the personality of the speakers—where they are from, where they
went to school, and more. Changes in a person’s normal speed of talking
may indicate stress or reluctance to answer a sensitive question.
—We have all met people who seem to never stop
talking. They might simply be nervous, or they might be inconsiderate of
others and focused only on themselves. Context is key. In the aftermath of
an accident, a person might ramble, talking nonstop. This is caused by
shock. But at a party, the man who talks your ear off is letting you know
who he thinks it most important—and it’s not you.
an accident or tragic event, a person may begin
to speak incoherently. This is a result of stress and the emotional side of the
brain being overwhelmed. Depending on the circumstances of the event or
tragedy, this may last for hours or even days, as we have seen with soldiers
and refugees in combat zones.
—Under high stress, people may repeat certain
words over and over in a nonsensical way. Efforts on your part to get them
to say more may not work. It is as if they are stuck in a loop. I once heard a
victim struck by a vehicle say the word “metal” over and over again, with a
look of fright upon her face. That was all she could say.



—Some people will take their time answering a
question, starting, then stopping, then continuing. Others will respond
before you finish asking the question. How fast they answer says something
about how they are thinking and processing information. Keep in mind that
speed of response depends upon cultural context as well as mental agility.











—Fast is not always good when answering
a question. When a person speeds through an apology, the apology loses its
meaning—it seems mechanical and contrived. A similar principle applies in
praising or welcoming people. It is at these moments that we should take
our time. Speeding through an apology or recognition of another suggests
there are issues, such as social anxiety, reluctance, or lack of conviction. It
is the speed of talking that is the nonverbal here—as if glancing over what
is important.
such as “aah,” “hum,” “hum,” coughing or throat
clearing, and hesitations in speaking may indicate people are momentarily
at a loss for words and feeling they have to fill the void with at least a
sound. Americans are notorious for using filler sounds as they figure out
what to say, struggle to find the right words, or bide their time while they
recall an experience. Because these are not actual words, they are
considered a paralanguage or a nonverbal.
—People often cough or clear their
throat when they need to answer or deal with something difficult. A
question that is challenging to answer or needs to be qualified might cause
throat clearing. I have noted that some individuals when lying will clear
their throat or cough, but this is not a reliable indicator of deception, as the
honest may also do so when nervous or tense.
—Whistling is a form of cathartic exhaling (see
#98), and it helps us relieve stress. It’s a good pacifier and that’s why
people tend to do it when traveling by themselves through a dark or
desolate area or when they feel uncomfortably alone. In movies and
cartoons, people or characters are often portrayed whistling while walking
through a cemetery to ward off their apprehension.
tongue and teeth noises are used in many societies to
indicate disagreement, to call attention to something that is wrong, or to

shame. One tut-tuts by placing the tongue against the back of the front teeth
and the upper palate and then rapidly inhaling to make a sharp, quick
sound. This is often seen in concert with a waving finger indicating that a
transgression has occurred and been noticed. Parents frequently tut-tut
when children are about to misbehave.

—Laughter is a universal display of amusement, happiness, and
joy. We know that when we laugh we experience less stress and even less
pain; indeed, the act of laughing may have arisen in us as a protective
evolutionary benefit. There are, of course, many different sorts of laughter:
unrestrained cackles when we hear a genuinely hilarious joke; the joyous
laughter of children; the obsequious laughter of those who seek to flatter a
leader. How someone laughs says a lot, and should be examined for the true
depth of sentiment and context when you’re in doubt.

The Lips

We purse them in front of smartphones to take selfies and paint them with
lipstick to make them more attractive. We inject them with collagen to hide our
age, and we lick them to keep them moist. Rich in nerve endings, our lips sense
pressure, heat, cold, flavors, tenderness, and even the movement of air. They not
only sense, they can be sensuous as well. Lips communicate moods, likes,
dislikes, even fear. We adorn them, massage them, Botox them, and play with
them—and oh yes, we kiss with them. In a way, they are one of the things that
make us uniquely human.


—Our lips change size and dimensions according to our
emotional state. They get small when we’re stressed, larger when we’re
comfortable. Full, pliable lips indicate relaxation and contentment. When
we’re under stress, blood flows out of the lips to other parts of the body
where it is needed. Lip fullness can serve as a barometer of a person’s
emotional state.


—Covering one’s lips with one’s fingers can indicate
insecurity or doubt and should be considered in context. Watch for this
behavior, especially as people hear a question they need to process. This
behavior is also seen when people carefully ponder an issue. Keep in mind
that some people do this frequently, in all sorts of situations—it is a stress
reliever harking back to when they sucked their thumbs, so be careful with
what inference is drawn.




—Pulling or plucking of the lips is usually associated with
fear, doubt, concern, lack of confidence, or other difficulties. Ignore people
who do this continually to pass the time—for them it is a pacifier. For those
who rarely do it, it’s a good indicator that something is wrong.



—Lip biting is a pacifier, usually seen when people are under
stress or have concerns. We bite our lips because, after a certain age, it is no
longer socially acceptable to suck our thumbs, and biting our lips stimulates
the same nerves in the mouth. We might also bite our lips when we want to
say something but can’t or shouldn’t. Note also that some people, when
angry, will bite their lips as a means of self-restraint.







the tongue on the lips helps to pacify us in the same
way that lip biting does. This behavior is usually associated with concerns,
anxiety, or negative emotions; however, it could just be that the person has
dry lips, so be careful when drawing conclusions. For some people,
however, this is a very reliable indicator that they are very stressed. As an
educator, I see this all the time when an unprepared student sits down for a
—The narrowing of the lips is mostly associated with
negative thoughts, concerns, fears, anxiety, or lack of confidence. As we
process issues or experience stress, the lips tend to narrow.
the day, as we encounter negative events or
uncomfortable thoughts, and concerns, our lips will narrow and press
together, accurately transmitting, even if only for an instant, our concerns.
Lip compression can be very subtle or can reach a point where the lips
noticeably change color as blood is forced out. Lip compression can be very
fleeting (
th of a second), and yet it reveals accurately a negative
emotion suddenly registered.





we show our annoyance with others
by slightly compressing the lips. Unlike full lip compression, where both
lips are involved, this usually involves only the upper lip. Still, a slight lip
compression might reveal something, when considered along with the rest
of a person’s body language.



—You’ll see this striking behavior in
people when they realize they made a major mistake or get caught doing
something wrong. The lips are held tightly together while the muscles
surrounding the mouth contract to bring the lips slightly down, stretching
the upper lip away from the nose and pulling the mouth area tightly against
the teeth.



who hold their compressed lips
together for a long time, reluctant to decompress them, are signaling a high
degree of stress or concern. Lip compression is, in a way, a battening down
of our hatches, much like covering our eyes with our hands to block out
something negative. The greater the tension or apprehension, the greater the
need to keep the lips compressed.




—The quivering of the edges of the lips, no matter how
slight, in the absence of alcohol or neurological disorders, indicates
discomfort, concern, fear, or other issues. Young people when questioned
by parents or other adults in positions of authority often display quivering
lips, as do honest people who have never been confronted by law
enforcement officers before. I have also heard from human resources
personnel that some young people’s lips will quiver when they are asked if
they use illicit drugs.





—When we have deep concerns or anxiety, we might
suck our lips into our mouth to the point where they are no longer visible.
This signals something very different from lip compressing ( see #147),
where much of the lips remain visible. This behavior is often reserved for
when there is severe stress, significant physical pain, or great emotional

—When the lips are compressed and the corners of the
mouth turn downward, things are really bad emotionally. This is a strong
indicator of high stress or discomfort. This behavior is difficult to fake, so it
is very accurate. Be careful, however, because some people have naturally
downturned mouths. This indicator is similar to the “grouper” mouth ( see
#156), but in this case the lips either are very tightly compressed or have
disappeared completely.
purse our lips (pinching them tightly toward the front of
the mouth) when we disagree with something or when we are thinking of an
alternative. When audiences take issue with what a speaker is saying or
know it is wrong, you often see this behavior. The more outward the
movement of the pursed lips, the stronger the negative emotion or
sentiment. This is an extremely reliable behavior you also see in poker
when players don’t like their own hole cards.



—This is similar to the pursed-lips behavior
above, but with the lips energetically pulled to the side of the face,
significantly altering the look of the person. Usually this happens quickly,
though when there is strong disagreement, the position might be held for a
few seconds. It is an emphatic gesture that says, “I have real issues here; I
don’t like what I was asked, what I just heard, or where this is going.” The
more pronounced the gesture or the longer it is held, the stronger the
sentiment. We famously saw this expression on O. J. Simpson trial witness
Kato Kaelin as he testified, and gymnast McKayla Maroney when she came
in second place in the vault finals during the 2012 Summer Olympics.




THE O —When

we are surprised or in agony, our lips will often instinctively
make an oval shape, similar to an O. The reason we do this is not exactly
known, but it seems to be a universal behavior across cultures and possibly
a vestigial response we share with alarmed primates. The best-known image
of this is Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream.





—The mouth, like the eyes, can be a window into our
emotional state. Sadness is usually shown with the corners of the lips turned
down slightly, usually in concert with lowered upper eyelids. This is
sometimes referred to as a “grouper” mouth or face. It should be noted that
some people naturally look this way—the corners of their mouths
perpetually turned down—and for them, it has nothing to do with negative

to jaw dropping (see #179), this occurs
when people have done something wrong or realize they’ve made a
mistake. One corner of the mouth is pulled to the side, causing the jaw to
shift in that direction; at the same time, the clenched lower teeth on that
side of the mouth are exposed. Students often react this way when they miss
a question they know they should have known; it’s also seen when
employees recognize they failed to complete a task. This behavior might be
accompanied by the quick sucking in of air through clenched teeth.
—A genuine smile is an instant, surefire way to communicate
friendliness and goodwill. Around the world it signals warmth, friendliness,
and social harmony. Watching someone smile, especially babies, brings us
joy. In family relations, dating, and business a smile opens doors as well as
hearts. There are a variety of smiles, including social smiles for those whom

we don’t know but acknowledge near us, the tense smile of a test taker, and
the false smile of those pretending to like us or trying to act comfortable.


—A topic of much research; a genuine smile involves the
mouth and the muscles around the eyes. This is called a Duchenne smile,
according to body-language researcher Paul Ekman. The face is visibly
more relaxed in a true smile, as the facial muscles reflect actual joy rather
than tension. Studies have shown that a genuine smile can be truly
“contagious,” in both professional and personal environments, and is often
a trait we associate with charismatic individuals.






—How accurate are smiles in
revealing our inner feelings? Very. Studies show that athletes’ smiles differ
noticeably depending on whether they finish in first, second, or third place.
Interestingly, this same distinction holds true for congenitally blind athletes,
who have never actually seen a smile on another person’s face. Their smile
will reflect their success, or lack thereof—again confirming that many
nonverbals are hardwired in our brains.



—False smiles, like nervous smiles, are used for perception
management to make others believe everything is OK. They are fairly easy
to distinguish from a true smile; however, in a false smile, sometimes only
one side of the face is involved, or the smile goes toward the ear rather than
the eyes. It looks contrived. A true smile engages the eyes and the facial
muscles smoothly on both sides of the face.
—A nervous or tense smile shows anxiety, concern, or
stress. The nervous smile is performed to make others think everything is
fine. You often see this on visitors clearing customs at the airport; they
nervously smile at the inquisitive officer asking questions.

—When one corner of the mouth
pinches tight and pulls slightly to the side or up, it reveals smugness,
disdain, dislike, disbelief, or contempt. Where the contempt is
demonstrably overt, this behavior may be dramatized or exaggerated,
leaving no question as to true sentiments. Most of the time crimping the
corner of the mouth is done on just one side of the face but some people do
it on both sides and it means the same.



negative sentiments, disdain, or dislike will cause
the upper corner of the lip on one side of the mouth to rise slightly or “tent”
upward. When the sentiments are strong, the rise can be very noticeable,
distorting the upper lip toward the nose and exposing the teeth, almost in a
snarl. This is a sign of utter dislike or disgust.


—Some people reflect their positive emotions
by licking their upper lip briskly back and forth. Because the tongue is in
essence defying gravity (going for the upper lip), positive emotions are
more likely involved. This is differentiated from the usual lip licking, which
is done on the lower lip and is associated with stress release. As with all
body-language indicators, there are exceptions, and some people rub the
upper lip to relieve stress, so look for other confirming behaviors to guide
you in drawing conclusions.

The Cheeks and Jaw

Many people think of the cheeks as a dormant fixture and the jaw as something
only useful for chewing and talking—not, in other words, useful in the study of
body language. But our cheeks and jaws give our faces our unique human shape.
We look for leaders to have strong jaws and the fashion industry is always
looking for high cheekbones on models. We color our cheeks artificially with
makeup to increase our attractiveness and allow hair to grow on our jaws to fill
out a face—which is why President Lincoln grew out his beard. From cheeks
that flush with excitement or embarrassment to jaws that shift when we feel
unsure, these two areas definitely communicate something about us and should
not be overlooked.


—Facial tics can erupt anywhere on the face (the
cheek, a corner of the mouth, the eyes, the forehead) and are specific to
each individual. If you suddenly see a nervous twitch, it is usually caused
by tension or anxiety. Facial tics often occur on or near the cheeks because
of the interconnecting muscles that traverse this area.





—People will push or press their fingers firmly against a
cheek to produce sensations that relieve stress—literally making a dent into
their own skin. These displays are sometimes quite pronounced, depending
on the pressure applied. This is frequently seen at sporting events when the
home team is doing poorly. Facial denting can be done with one or two
hands or a few fingers on just one side or by pinching the cheeks between
the thumb and the index or middle finger in concert.
or facial massaging is a good way to
release stress. Usually done very softly, it can also signal contemplation.

This is a behavior that needs to be considered with other behaviors for an
accurate assessment.


—Strumming the fingers on the cheek indicates that
someone is bored and wanting to move things along. Verify with other
behaviors, such as looking bored or seat shifting.











—Cheek framing is when a person rests the jaw on an
extended thumb and places the index finger up along the side of the cheek.
This usu ally involves just one hand and suggests that a person is pondering
something, or wants to appear pensive. Some people use this behavior
primarily when they doubt what a speaker is saying, while others might
simply do it as a means to aid concentration. In dating, it can be an effective
pose to show interest from a distance.
—The puffing out of the cheeks, without exhaling,
often signifies doubt, deliberation, or caution. This is often seen in people
who are not quite sure what to do next or who are apprehensive. It is not
unusual to see someone hold this pose for quite a while as they work out the
solution to a problem.
a pacifier by ever so slightly rubbing
the index finger against the cheek indicates that stress is being managed for
the sake of perception. When people try to conceal a pacifier, like touching
the side of the nose, they do so because they are trying to hide their
insecurity, anxiety, or worry. Surreptitious cheek touching is frequently
noticeable in people being interviewed on TV and in poker players.
—Cheek scratching is also a pacifier, a way of dealing
with doubts and insecurities. It is more robust than sneaking a touch, which
tends to be more accurate because of its hidden meaning. Nevertheless, the
scratching of the cheek with four fingers usually indicates reservations,
hesitation, bewilderment, or apprehension.
—Using the fingers to tightly
constrict or pinch the corners of the mouth relieves stress. We rarely do this
when we are content and relaxed. It is different from facial denting ( see
#168). This behavior is usually done by pressing the fleshy area of cheeks
with the fingers and thumbs bilaterally pulling toward the corners of the

mouth, perhaps even pulling on one or both lips.


extreme stress, it is not unusual to see people press
their hands on their face and drag them downward, as if wiping their faces
clean. Typically, the motion starts just in front of the ears and concludes
near the jawbone. The harder and longer the person presses down, the more
acute the stress. I’ve seen stockbrokers do this at the closing bell after a
poor day of trading or when a team loses in the final second of a game.




—Jaw displacement or repetitive jaw shifting
(from side to side) is an effective pacifier. This is also simply a compulsive
behavior in some people, so note when and how often it occurs and look for
other confirming behaviors that something is amiss. Most people do this
infrequently, and thus when you do see it, it is very accurate in
communicating that something is bothering them.







—When we are upset, angry, or fearful, the jaw muscles near
the ears tend to tense up. Look for jaw tension when there is stress,
defiance, or emotions are becoming heated.

sudden drop of the jaw, leaving the mouth open and the
teeth exposed, communicates great surprise. This behavior is often seen
when people are shocked or are confronted with an embarrassing
revelation. Why our jaws drop is not completely understood, but the action
is quite accurate in revealing total surprise.
muscles that pulse, throb, or become tight and
pronounced indicate impatience, tension, concern, worries, anger, or
negative emotions.
we are angry, we tend to move or jut the jaw slightly
forward. In conjunction with lowered upper eyelids or tense lips, this
behavior makes anger difficult for a person to hide entirely.

The Chin

Baby, round, squared, sagging, strong, dimpled, cute, or scarred: chins come in
many varieties and shapes. They protect our face, and if need be our neck, but
they also communicate our sentiments, whether pride or shame. We say “chin
up” when others are down, and soldiers proudly salute the flag with their chins
angled high. The chin, in short, can speak volumes about our internal state,
whether we are confident, frightened, troubled, or emotionally overcome.


—When the chin is out and up it communicates confidence—thus
the saying “chin up.” In certain European cultures (German, French,
Russian, and Italian, among others) the chin is generally raised higher than
normal to signify confidence, pride, and in certain cases, arrogance.







—If the chin suddenly points downward in response
to a question, most likely the person lacks confidence or feels threatened. In
some people, this is a highly reliable tell; they literally drop their chin when
they get bad news or as they think about something painful or negative.
—When we are worried or anxious, we instinctively
move our chin as close to the neck as possible—nature’s way of protecting
our vitals. This is an excellent indicator of insecurity, doubt, even fear. If
you see this behavior after asking someone a question, there are serious
unresolved issues. When children are questioned about something they
should not have done, the chin often comes down, showing contriteness.
Many adults respond the same way.
—This is generally employed by children to hide their
embarrassment, show their displeasure toward others, or demonstrate that
they are upset. They tuck their chin down, often crossing their arms at the

same time and then refuse to lift their chin up. In adults, chin hiding is seen
between males, standing face-to-face, angry or yelling at each other. In this
case it serves to protect the neck in the event of a violent confrontation.


—This is another behavior familiar
to parents—when children lower or try to hide their chin with the shoulders
slumped, effectively saying “I don’t want to.” If the arms are also crossed,
then the child definitely does not want to.











—We touch our chins when we are thinking or evaluating
something. This is usually done with the tips of the fingers. It is not
necessarily a sign of doubt but is something to note when a person is
processing information. When coupled with other behaviors, such as lip
pursing, it suggests that the person is contemplating something negative, or
an alternative to what has been discussed.
many cultures this signifies that a
person has doubts about what is being said. This may also be coupled with
lip pursing. It can be performed side to side or from back to front of the
one’s chin on the palm of the hand, coupled with
relaxation of the facial muscles, suggests boredom. But in a law
enforcement context, it might signal a range of possibilities, depending on
the circumstances. In a forensic setting, I have seen the guilty strike this
pose while sitting in a room alone as a form of perception management, to
make authorities think they are so innocent, they are practically bored.
—This chin perch is performed by placing the chin
on the knuckles of the fists, while the elbows are wide and resting on a table
as the person stares into the distance or at a computer screen. Usually the
forehead is furrowed or the eyes are narrowed or squinting, as a result of
something difficult they are pondering or momentary anger. When you see
someone posed like this, it is wise to not interrupt.
the chin left to right against the palm of the hand
is a subconscious conveyance of disagreement. I have seen people sitting
around a conference room table show their silent displeasure by shifting
their chin while resting on the palm of their hand.



—Stroking a mustache or a beard can be
highly effective for pacifying stress. As with any repetitive behavior, ignore
it if you see it too often, as some people with facial hair do this
compulsively. If you see it occur suddenly for the first time or it increases
after a topic is mentioned, perhaps the person has an issue. Cultural context
must also be taken into account; for instance, beard stroking is common
among many men from the Middle East as they pass the time talking. Note
that many men with beards find it soothing to stroke their beards as they
pass the time of day.








—In many cultures, people will point in a direction with
their chin, extending it forward as they stretch their neck. This replaces
pointing with a finger, and is seen throughout the Caribbean, in Latin
America, in parts of Spain, and in the Middle East, as well as on many
Native American reservations.

—When people are stressed, experiencing emotional
turmoil, or about to cry, their chin will dimple. This is true for even the
most stoic of individuals.
sudden quivering of chin muscles indicates
fear, concern, anxiety, or apprehension. People who are about to cry will
also do this. The mentalis muscle, which covers the chin and causes the
skin to quiver, is one of the muscles that most reflects our emotions,
according to Dr. David Givens. Sometimes the chin will reflect emotional
turmoil even before the eyes.
often see this with people who are embarrassed or
emotionally vulnerable. They will, in a very childlike manner, place their
chin against one shoulder, looking demure. You should especially note
when someone does this while answering a question. It usually means the
person has great difficulty discussing a subject, perhaps because she
possesses knowledge she does not wish to reveal.

The Face

Though I have already covered individual elements of the face, some behaviors
are best understood within their full context. Human beings evolved to glean a
great deal of information from the face. The eyes and the mouth especially draw
our attention. Usually when we look at someone we like, we toggle our gaze
between the eyes and mouth, because these